Jihad: The forgotten obligation

35: To Curse the Enemy in Jihaad

Narrated 'Ali (ra): When it was the day of the battle of al Ahzab, Allah's Apostle (saw) said "O Allah! fill their (ie the infidels) houses and graves with fire as they busied us so much that we did not perform the prayer (ie Asr) till the sun had set". (Sahih Bukhari, p.410, vol.1)

Imam Bukhari has mentioned many narrations in which the Prophet (saw) has cursed his enemies naming them.

Narrated Abu Huraira (ra) the Prophet (saw) used to recite the following invocations during Qunut: "O Allah! Save Salama bin Hisham. O Allah! Save al Walid ibn al Walid. O Allah! Save Ayyah bin Rabia. O Allah! save the weak Muslims. O Allah! Be very hard on Mudar tribe. O Allah! Afflict them with years (of famine) similar to the (famine) years of the time of the Prophet Yusuf (as)". (Bukhari, p.411, vol.1)

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abi Auf (ra) Allah's Apostle (saw) invoked evil upon the pagans on the day (of the battle) of Al Ahzab saying, "O Allah! Revealer of the Book, the Swift Taker of Accounts, O Allah, defeat al Ahzab, O Allah, defeat them and shake them". (Bukhari, p.411, vol.1)

Narrated Abdullah (ra) Once the Prophet (saw) was offering the prayer in the shade of the Kaba. Abu Jahil and some Qurayshi men sent somebody to bring the abdominal contents of a she camel which had been slaughtered some where in Makkah and when brought them, they put them over the Prophet (saw). Then Fatima (ra) came and threw them away from him, and he said, "O Allah! destroy the (pagans of) Quraish; O Allah! Destroy Quraish, O Allah! Destroy Quraish." Naming especially, Abu Jahil ibn Hisham, Utbah bin Rabia, Shayba bin Rabia, al Walid bin Utba, Ubay bin Khalaf, Uqba ibn Abi Muit (The narrator, Abdullah added, "I saw them all killed and thrown in the Badr well") (Sahih Bukhari, p.411, vol.1)

We learn from these narrations that those unbelievers who harm the Muslims and fight against them are the utmost despised people, to the extent that the Prophet (saw) has openly cursed them. Regarding the incident of Bir Mauna, when seventy of the Sahab were Shaheed, all of whom were the most learned of the Qur'an. The Prophet (saw) read Qunoot in Fajr for one month cursing the killers.

These narrations do not contradict the narration's in which supplicating for the guidance of the unbelievers has been mentioned, because as long as there is hope for their guidance the supplication for guidance can continue. When the unbelievers persist on oppression and persecution without limit, then they can be cursed, but even in this situation if supplication for guidance is made, it is allowed. We need to be conscious of the fact, that when the unbelievers march forth to fight, then to supplicate for the victory of the Muslims and the defeat of the unbelievers has been taught in the Qur'an.